1803.  A Rather EVENTFUL  YEAR in AUSTRALIAN HISTORY.

Feb.2^nd Charles Grimes in Port Phillip Bay Discovers the Yarra Yarra River.

Feb.5^th George Bass leaves Sydney, heads across the Pacific, and disappears forever.

Feb.17^th Nicolas Baudin’ Expedition  arrives in King George Sound.

Mar.5^th First Australian Newspapers published by George Howe. Sydney Gazette.

Mar.11^{th LT}. John Bowen arrives in Sydney Cove.

Apr27th. Lt-Col David Collins leaves UK on HMS Calcutta, with Storeship Ocean to form a settlement in Port Phillip.

Apr, 30^th Baudin leaves the Australian coast and sails for Timor.

May. 9^th. Governor King applies to return to the UK..

Jun . 9^th .Investigator arrives back in Port Jackson. Flinders having circumnavigated Australia.

Aug.10^th. Flinders sails for England as a passenger on the Porpoise.

Aug.17^th. Porpoise runs aground on Wreck Reef

Aug.26^th Flinders sails back to Sydney in a ships boat.

Sep11th. Lt. John Bowen arrives at Risdon Cove on the Derwent River Van Diemans Land.

Oct. 7^th Flinders arrives at Wreck Reef with 2 other ships, to the rescue, then sails for UK.

Oct. 9^th Collins arrives at Sorrento in Port Phillip.

Nov.5^th Collins seeks Governor Kings permission to move the settlement from Port Phillip

Dec 12^th King authorizes Collins to move to Risdon Cove in VDL

Dec15th  Cumberland leaking stops at Mauritius and Flinders is interned by the French.

Dec 27^th Convict William Buckley escapes from the Port Phillip settlement, before he was to go to Risden Cove, and lived with a tribe of Aborigines for the next 32 years.